Gage County
1115 West Scott St.
Beatrice NE 68310
Phone: (402) 223-1384
FAX: (402) 223-1370

Hay & Forage Minute

Courtesy of Dr. Bruce E Anderson, UNL Forage Specialist

Control Winter Annual Weeds Now

This fall has been great for pennycress, mustards, henbit, and downy brome to get started in your alfalfa. Treat them now if you want to avoid heavy weed pressure next spring.

This has been a nice fall. Crops are being harvested rapidly, good rains have blessed many areas, and much alfalfa still is green.

I hate to spoil this pleasant scenario, but it also has been a great fall for winter annual weeds to get started in that green alfalfa. Check your fields and you might find lots of small henbit plants or mustard rosettes or short grass seedlings of downy brome. This density and robust start suggests heavy weed growth next spring. If left uncontrolled they could grow rapidly, reducing alfalfa yield, thinning stands, and lowering forage quality.

To avoid next spring's weed infestation, spray fields now before soils freeze up. Probably the three best herbicides to use right now are Sencor, Sinbar, and Velpar. All three do an excellent job of controlling pennycress, mustards, and downy brome. Raptor might be a better choice, though, if henbit is your biggest problem.

Now you might be thinking – I can wait until early next spring to spend money on these herbicides to spray for these weeds.

And you're right – you can wait and be successful with spring spraying.. The problem with this thinking is that spring spraying must be done before alfalfa greens up or you will injure your plants. Usually, there are only a few days in spring where alfalfa is dormant, weeds are actively growing, and it's not too wet or windy. Most of the time, fields don't get sprayed at all or they get sprayed late and alfalfa suffers some injury.

Take advantage of opportunities now to control weeds in your alfalfa. That way you won't be plagued by them next spring.

For further information contact Paul Hay by calling (402) 223-1384 or e-mail: phay1@unl.edu

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